


On the River Styx

by NoNameMiss



Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Aiber and Wedy gets named dropped, Alive L (Death Note), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, He's possibly dead inside, Identity Issues, Minor Character Death, Names, Not A Fix-It, Sort Of, Spoilers -ish, lots and lots of names, spoilers for L's real name, well...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:54:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26860045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoNameMiss/pseuds/NoNameMiss
Summary: According to the Ancient Greeks, the Styx river separates the world of the living and the world of the dead. It is said that mortal bodies dipped into the river's water will become immortal.In which L finds out he's invulnerable to the Death Note and for once the World's greatest, second greatest and third greatest detective doesn't know what to do.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	On the River Styx

**Author's Note:**

> AU, obviously and probably a little out of character too. I like to think that after hours reading and watching as much Death Note content I can get my hands on, I understand L pretty well, but his voice is hard to depict.

If someone were to ever tell him he had sprouted out off a pumpkin patch one day, he'd consider believing them.

Of course, that doesn't make sense. All human children came from the womb of a mother, this is the complete and infallible truth of the world. Therefore, logically, he, a human, was also birthed from a womb. Yet, he never had a mother nor a father, which is alright, that simply meant no one wanted to call him their child, but that doesn't explain why he couldn't even recall his parent(s?)' warmth. The only warmth he can recall is his own, and the only kisses he ever received were the ones he gives himself whenever he bites scars onto his own thumb. Would that make him his own parents? But that doesn't make sense either, he was not a god, he cannot simply make himself become. So, he must have came from a womb. Yet, of all the womb bearing humans he had ever seen, met or dissected (sometimes quite litteraly), all of them, and he means every single one of them, had a 0% chance of being his parent. So as seemingly unlikely it is that he had simply sprouted out off a pumpkin, a 0.01% possibility is still more than 0%. Besides, surely he wouldn't be the only child born from unconventional means. Of course not, the Japanese tells stories of Princess Kaguya, who was born from a bamboo stalk and Hans Christian Andersen wrote of Thumbelina, who was born from a barleycorn. He would simply be yet another one of these strangely birthed children, maybe one day he'd even have a story named after him.

That was another thing, what would he be called? Typically, the parent of the child names the newly born human. But he didn't have parents(unless of course, he counts the pumpkin he might have been born from) so naturally, he didn't have a name.

Except that wasn't right either. No. He is L. That's right, he is L, the Greatest(and because he can't emphasize this enough, the _absolute greatest_ ) detective in the world.

But not even he calls himself L, not all the time anyway. In fact, as a child there were times when he was more than eager to respond to "dog," "brat" and "street rat." Now, he is sometimes called Ryuuzaki, other times he is called Coil. All his life, introducing himself as name after name, all of which he lets them all believe are just another one of his alias, but he believes that the truth isn't so deceiving. Deneuve is a great detective in their own right, and in spite of the bravado he makes, telling everyone Deneuve is yet another one of his alias, Deneuve is no less real than Eraldo Coil. And Eraldo Coil, the money driven detective, is no less real than L. Hideki Ryuuga, the university student–not the pop idol–is real too, and so is Arjun Khatri, the English pilot who's family immigrated from India, and Ludwig Adler the blacksmith from rural Austria. All of these names, they are all him, and he was real, therefore they are all real too.

Of all the names he calls himself –Arjun, Ludwig, David, Claude–, he'd say he doesn't really play favourites. He is, after all, L, the greatest detective in the World, and L is capable of deciding which name will serve him best at any given situation. So, between Jason the amateur hacker, Faidh the law student, and Kris the wannabe entrepreneur, they're all equal, because L understands that they all have the potential to be useful.

But that's not right either. There's one in particular, Lawliet, he is sure he's a little more fond of than all the other names. He's fond of Lawliet, he's sure of it. Because he remembers that Lawliet Riegan was the name of the man who gave him a strawberry flavoured lollipop 19 years, 11 months, 25 days ago. He liked Lawliet, because Lawliet is good. Lawliet is the law, Lawliet is justice. Therefore, he, L, is Lawliet.

He is like Achilles in a way, who was dipped into the Styx. With every inch of his body engulfed in the water, every name he finds attached to his person, he becomes stronger, more invulnerable.

And Lawliet is going to be his Achilles' heel, he is sure he believes this.

(The Ancient Greeks called Achilles a hero, but he thinks Achilles is just an invincible man. After all, what hero ties the corpse of his opponent to a chariot and drags it across the battlefield)

So imagine the surprise, the disbelief, he felt as he watch the letters, "DATA DELETION COMPLETE" flash on his screens. He screamed. L screamed. Ryuuzaki screamed. He was sure it was him, his voice that yelled out for Watari, the metaphorical tearing in the back of his throat is proof of this. In the 10.4 seconds it took the the letters on his screen to stop flashing and for all traces of Watari to be removed from L's computer, he had screamed hard enough for his throat to burn and for the other members of the task force to become alert of his distress.

Kira had gotten to W. Watari's name had been compromised and in the fourty seconds he had left to live, the old man (bless his no longer beating heart) followed proper protocol and deleted everything there is to L, Watari, the Kira case and probably Aiber and wedy as well.

Kira needs a name and a face to kill, Watari's identity, his name and face, had been compromised. Naturally, it's logical for him to suspect that L has been compromised as well, which means soon, Aiber and wedy would follow. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... 10 seconds, 20... 35 seconds, 40...

Inhale, exhale. He breathes. He breathes because he can. He breathes because he is alive and when he listens to the inside of his own chest, his heart is beating. He breathes, because his heart is still beating.

Was his suspicion for nothing? Is L to be spared from Kira's hunt? Why? Had Kira spared him? Pitied him? Why would Kira kill Watari, but spare L? Perhaps Kira, like him, finds some amusement in the existence of an entity capable of challenging them. Maybe, maybe, Kira sympathetised with him? No, that doesn't make sense. Why would Kira kill Watari but spare L? Did Kira want to destroy L by discarding his one confidant? But all previous evidence points to Kira being unable comprehend punishments greater than death. Because Kira is childish and Kira childishly believes that death to be equal punishment to all the World's crimes. Which means Kira must have made a mistake. Yes, he believes this to be the case, Kira made a mistake and is incapable of finding L. For whatever reason, Kira was able to find Watari, but not L and acted brashly on this finding. Paris had shot his arrow, but in his arrogance, had not received Apollo's guidance and the arrow missed its mark. That's right, Kira made a mistake and took away L's partner in crime(pun intended, because even in the bleakest of times he is nothing if not witty) and now Kira will have to suffer the consequence of this mistake, L can ensure that justice will be served-

"-zaki, Ryuuzaki!"

He snapped his neck towards the voice, at a speed fast enough that he feels like he is experiencing something similar to whiplash.

"What is it?"

He sees them. Touda Matsuda, formerly aspiring detective, youngest member for the task force. Kanzo Mogi, former police, quietest member for the Kira task force. Hideki Ide, also former police, loyal to Yagami and "the cause." Soichiro Yagami, former chief of the NPA, father and husband, loyal member of the Kira task force... And beside him, Light Yagami, university student, prodigal son, brother to Sayu Yagami, honorary member of the Kira task force, number one suspect of being Kira.

(If he squints his eyes hard enough, he can pretend that Hirokazu Ukita, brave member of the Kira task force, has the same look of idiotic distress on his face as all the other occupants of the room save himself and Light Yagami)

He sighs, stares at them all, inhaling heavy air like Watari used to a pipe of expensive cigar. He speaks:

"Watari is dead."

The statement hit like a meteor to earth, forming craters for viewers to admire. Disbelief, shock, sadness sank deeper into their faces and he can see, read it all like names on a fake ID. And fear, _fear_ he can recognise on a person like a sixth sense.

(And he convinces himself he doesn't sense fear in himself because he's not afraid and that no matter how hard anyone, including himself, tries, no one will be able to read sadness on him because he believes he does not feel sadness. Because fear and sadness are irrational and biased, and he is L, and L is nothing if not rational and unbiased)

He turns his head, craning his neck to face Light Yagami, number one Kira suspect, honorary member of the Kira task force, exudes fear. From his breath, from his mouth, from every pore on his skin, fear pour out from his person in invisible waterfalls. (and he knows, he _knows_ , that Light Yagami for all his act of nonchalant innocence and poor attempts at stealing glances, is analysing him head to toe, skin to bone)

He swallows, his own tongue tasting bitter in his mouth.   
"Call the ambulance, we must retrieve Watari ASAP, also someone go find the Shinigami, I have some questions to ask."

Soichiro Yagami, former chief of the NPA, is the first to react. The shock melting away from his face faster than snow on a summer day. But the fear, the fear clings to his face like a mask and sticks to his throat with every word he wretches out. And the rest of them, Touta Matsuda, youngest member of the Kira taskforce, Kanzo Mogi, quietest member of the Kira taskforce and Hideki Ide, former police, loyal to the cause of finding Kira, moved. Their movements, all three of them plus Soichiro Yagami, their limbs weighed down by lead and fear, the joints of their anatomy armoured in under the confines of reluctance and unease.

1-1-9 1-1-9 1-1-9 1-1-9 1-1-9 1-1-9

Beside him, Light Yagami, number one Kira suspect is still frozen. Feet glued to the ground, Light Yagami looks like he is staring into the eyes of a Gorgon. He stared, because he can, so he stared at Light Yagami. Light Yagami, honorary member of the Kira task force, stared back. Anticipating, uneasy, unsure, scared, scared, scared, _scared_. The fear on him creating bitter miasma that he can practically _taste_.

"Ryuuzaki, the shinigami!"

Touta Matsuda rushed into the room, hands covered in grey particles, his left hand holds the black book of names while his right hand presses against the wall. Beside him, where the Shinigami should be standing, haunting Touta Matsuda for daring to touch the Death Note there is nothing.

He took the book. Cover and pages between both thumbs and forefinger, he examined the book, the Death Note. In sharp handwriting, he can read, "Quillsh Wammy," clearly written in legible Roman alphabet. He breathes, the name taunting him, whispering to him the undeniable truth that someone, likely the shinigami, killed Mr. Wammy. That W, Watari, Quillsh Wammy is dead.

Quillsh Wammy.

He stares at "Quillsh Wammy" in strange fascination, not being able to look away like the name is a scene if a horrible plane crash. But he needs to, he needs to look away because there's something else written on the page.

He looks down.

Words in many different languages, Japanese, English, Mandarin, Arabic, Hindi- and they were all names.

L, Deneuve, Eraldo Coil, Hideki Ryuuga, Ryuuzaki Rue, Ludwig Adler, Arjun Khatri, David Morrison, Faidh Hassan, Jason Potter, Kris Lowell, Liao Honglian, Roman de Rossi, Arthur Stevens, Park Seo-yun, Louis Grayson-

A part of him wonders how quickly must the person be writing to be able to write down so many names at such a short amount of time. And yes, he knows all this must be recent and quick, because he can see how the ink, starting from "Deneuve" still catches the light, ever so slightly. Every name written less legible than the last, the ink pooling in heavier drips and drops.

San Nguyen, Alexandre Smirnov, Abel van de Berg, Indra Lang-

"Where is the shinigami?"

Touta Matsuda showed both hands, grey and ashen dust griping to his fingerprints.

"I-I don't know. I only found the book and a pile of dust. I don't know where the shinigami is."  
  
Dmitri Tarasov, Silas Windmire, Hashimoto Takumi-

Did the shinigami run away? No, it is attached to the Death Note, surely the Shinigami would not have gone too far....perhaps, is the shinigami dead? Is the grey dust clinging to his hands and between his nails the ashes of the dead shinigami? It would explain the shinigami's sudden disappearance. But could shinigami die? Could gods of death die? How does a shinigami die? Did the Death Note kill the shinigami? How does one kill a shinigami? If these are indeed the ashes of the shinigami leftover on his fingers, then the shinigami must have been nearby when it died. The shinigami had killed Quillsh Wammy.

Farrell Rusman, James McIvoy, Eduardo Hernandez, Claude Morelli-

He stared, and stared, and stared and glared at the very last name on the page that is readable. The ink so dark and blotched, that even he could barely decipher the handwriting,

Lawliet.

The shinigami, had killed Watari, and tried to kill L. He recognise these names, from L to Lawliet, he knows these names because they were all his. He is L, he is Lawliet. He is Ryuuzaki Rue. He is Hideki Ryuuga. He is Deneuve, he is Eraldo Coil. Every single one of these names were all him, so why didn't he die? 

Lawliet, Lawliet is his favourite one, when he realised Kira needed a name and a face to kill, he was so sure L Lawliet would get him killed. That L Lawliet would be his Achilles' heel. So why is he still alive?

He is L Lawliet, he is sure of it. He believes he is L Lawliet, he remembers calling himself Lawliet in the past, so why did L Lawliet not kill him now? Is the Death Note reliant on birth certificates? Legal documents? On which it would make sense that Lawliet could not be killed by the Death Note because Lawliet doesn't have either of those. Lawliet doesn't have a birth certificate, nor a license, nor a passport. No, Lawliet is his, his name, his favourite name, he would not, would never, let it be printed on cheap laminated paper and shared around like some politician's documents.

.... But Arjun Khatri has a pilot's license. He remembers holding a laminated card with Arjun Khatri printed in Roman alphabet, right beside a picture, not of him of course, but a picture nonetheless. And Faidh Hassan has a student ID, he knows because he made the ID himself.

Faidh Hassan, sex: male, born 19 September 1980, permanent resident of Canada.

Yet Faidh Hassan didn't kill him, neither did Arjuna Khatri. Is it the pictures? Is it because neither IDs had his pictures on them? That can't be it, most birth certificates don't have pictures on them, so surely the Death Note isn't reliant on pictures next to a name. Surely.

He tries to remember. Lind L. Tailor, no, Lind Lewis Tailor , that's what it said on every single one of Lind Lewis Tailor's documents from birth certificate to driver's license, they all said Lind Lewis Tailor. Yet Kira killed Lind Lewis Taylor with Lind L. Tailor alone. Because Lind Lewis Tailor believed in Lind L. Tailor. He said so himself, "I am Lind L. Tailor" and then Kira killed him.

But Kira didn't, couldn't kill him. Couldn't kill L. Kira couldn't kill L nor Lawliet. Why? He believes he is L and Lawliet and L Lawliet. He said so himself, "I am L." So why- is it because no one else believes?

He had believed that Lind Lewis Tailor was Lind L. Tailor and likely the whole of the ICPO believed the same as well. Was L and Lawliet's immunity the result of belief? Did no one believe he is L? That he is Lawliet? Was it Watari? Did Watari not believe in L Lawliet? 

The human who's name is written onto the Death Note, shall die.

Even with so many of his names (because contrary to what everyone believes, they were all _his_ names) written down onto the pages, even Lawliet failed to kill him. Is there perhaps, a lost birth certificate somewhere where the name that can kill him is spelled out? Or perhaps he is not human? He is 98% sure he is human, but a 2% chance is not 0%. What is it about him, about L, Lawliet, Deneuve, Eraldo Coil, that the Death Note cannot kill. Is he nameless? Inhuman?

Is it possible that he himself stopped believing in L? In Lawliet? For once in his life, L, Eraldo Coil and Deneuve didn't know what to think. A part of him is almost tempted to write every single one of his names down to see which one would kill him, to see which one, if any, he believes in.

But he won't, not yet.  
He has a case to solve, and questions that needs answering.  
And Kira... Kira will be caught.

Yes, in spite of what the Death Note may say, he is sure that he is Lawliet. He is Lawliet, he is justice, and if not even Lawliet can kill him this time, than perhaps he has no Achilles' heel. Perhaps he is truly invulnerable. He is L Lawliet the invincible, and he would bring Quillsh Wammy his justice.

(Amidst all this, the irony never escaped him, that a god of death could die failing to kill. And an even smaller part of him wonders what it means, that a shinigami couldn't kill him. Achilles' heel never touched the water of Styx because that is where his mother, Thetis, held on to him. If he has no Achilles' heel, was it possible that he had drowned?)

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed the product of my 3 am Tumblr browsing.


End file.
